This plan will take effect in the school year 2017-2018. Superintendent Dr. Dan Oakley said the staff requirements for the attendance centers will be finalized by January of 2017. He said most teachers will stay with the building in which they now teach but teacher aids will be more likely moved around.
Dr. Oakley said a referendum for the building project will be postponed until the election in April 0f 2017 instead of November of this year. Dr. Oakley said there were too many decisions to be made on the building plan and not enough time to make them by November.
John Bishop of the Farnsworth Group, the school's engineering consultant, said the 10 year Life Safety study has been completed for the school and will be available for public review at the next board meeting. Mr. Bishop said the existing sites at Fieldcrest East in Wenona and Fieldcrest High School in Minonk can handle the expansion of new buildings in the school's building plan which also will be presented at a later board meeting. He also mentioned that the foundation at Fieldcrest High School appears to be in good shape.
Fieldcrest High School William Lapp said students will be taking the SAT test next year which represents another change in testing procedures for the school. Dr. Oakley said this is the 4th year in a row that the State has changed the testing procedure. He said it is very difficult to track students progress with no common testing procedure to use for tracking. Mr. Lapp said windows have been replaced in some of the basement rooms at the school and the kitchen is being updated with new equipment. He added that this past year's graduation rate has increased to 90 - 93% from 85% last year.
In other business, the Parent/Student Handbook has been updated to specify no cell phone use during classes.
The board approved a bid from North Central Illinois Milk Distributors to provide milk next year for the school and approved the awarding of the refuse contract to Tomlinson Disposal.
The board approved the purchase of a new van for transporting students to Peoria. Dr. Oakley said the current van has over 200,000 miles and is in need of replacement. Two vans are used and the intention is to replace the other van next year.
At the end of the session board member Greg Kroeschen mentioned that he would like to see if it is feasible to have 3 principals to cover the 4 school buildings as a cost saving measure. Board member Joe Kirkpatrick said he would not support that plan as he felt each building needs a principal to keep things under control.